Music and Lies (George and Finn Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

were which. Excellent opportunity to do some on-the-spot research.
    Well, not just now, thanks. For now I’d just walk, get a feel for the place, find some space.
    And if, as I wandered round, I happened to keep an eye out for what Dex Barker (and anyone else) was doing – so what? It was only sensible to keep your eyes open. I definitely wasn’t planning to get involved. I certainly wasn’t going to give advice, or tell the police anything.
    Nothing good came of that.
     
    GEORGE
    I didn’t see Becky again until it was nearly dark. After Finn left me I’d walked around for a bit, but there didn’t seem to be much going on, so I went into my tent to lie down. I started reading through my biology notes. Just for something to do.
    Then Becky came over to invite me to eat with them. I was pleased. I was feeling hungry and realised I’d no idea what I was supposed to do for food. There weren’t exactly any shops nearby. The food Becky and Dex had taken from the house was as much mine as theirs – it was my dad’s house – but I didn’t feel I could go and demand it from them.
    I followed Becky over to the van, feeling much more cheerful. We passed Finn on our way and he nodded but said nothing. He was probably thinking I should be doing as he’d told me and stay away from Dex Barker, but I had to eat, didn’t I? And Dex had promised me a job. He wasn’t a nice person, but I could handle him.
    He certainly wasn’t a problem that evening. He only stayed in the van long enough to swallow more than his share of the lentil and onion stew Becky had made, then disappeared into the night.
    Becky looked after him, frowning. He hadn’t said where he was going and she didn’t ask.
    I was happy he’d gone. Now we would get the chance to have a proper chat, hang out together a bit. Becky knew all about this festival thing, but when I started to ask her how things were organised and what kind of work I would do as a volunteer she just looked vague.
    ‘We’ll get you a staff wristband and take it from there.’
    ‘But I want to help. You’ll be helping, won’t you?’
    She shrugged. ‘I don’t know.’
    I decided I’d ask Dex myself in the morning. Becky had always been a bit on the dreamy side.
    Unlike my mum, who was always totally on the ball, checking up on everything … Oh shit! I still hadn’t texted her! How could I have forgotten? I pulled out my mobile and checked again for signal. Nothing. ‘I can’t get any reception here. Look.’
    ‘Yeah, that’s right. Mobiles don’t work in the valley. It’s one of the good things about being here.’ She smiled faintly. ‘No one can get at us.’
    ‘But I’ll need to text Mum. I promised I’d keep in touch at least once a day. If I don’t, she’ll get worried. She’ll phone Dad’s house and then …’ I didn’t want to think about what might happen. If Mum had to ruin her holiday, rushing back to find where I had disappeared to, I’d never live it down.
    Becky twirled one of her strange dark locks around her finger. ‘Okay, calm down. I said you can’t get reception in the valley. If you go up one of the paths you’ll probably be fine.’
    I squinted out of the high, narrow windows. It looked pitch black out there. It was weird being somewhere there were no streetlights and you couldn’t even send a text. It’d be something cool to talk about back at school, but just now it was starting to freak me out.
    I really didn’t fancy walking around in the forest on my own. ‘Will you show me the way?’
    ‘I think it’s best to take the little bridge over the river, and follow the path up from there. You’ve seen the bridge, haven’t you? I’d better stay and tidy up here. Dex sometimes brings people back to talk business and he likes everything to be tidy.’
    Great, I thought, but all I said was, ‘I don’t suppose you have a torch?’
    ‘Can’t you use the one on your phone?’
    ‘Oh. Yes.’ God, I was useless.
    Becky stood up and